


Run Me Over or Pass Me By

by Tealightful



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Civil War Reunion, Dom Loki, Edging, Fix-It, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Good Loki, Happy Ending, Light Dom/sub, Loki (Marvel)-centric, Loki is a mom to all the avengers, M/M, No Angst, Oral Sex, Pancakes, Peter is a Dumb Kid, Pranks, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Redemption, Self-Indulgent, Smut, Sub Tony, the avengers don't mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 07:15:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15019460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tealightful/pseuds/Tealightful
Summary: Loki assumes an unofficial leadership role (what's new) and helps the Avengers not make horrible decisions. He quickly learns that he isn't at all qualified to do this, but someone has to. If he must, he'll take the burden.Post Civil War/Ragnarok AU where the Asgardians make it to Earth instead of dying.





	Run Me Over or Pass Me By

"Earth it is," Thor says, and so Loki goes to Earth, following in his brother's footsteps like he always has. 

Thanos's ship, unknown to most of the Asgardians, passes right by them. The only one who notices is Loki, and possibly Heimdall, but he says nothing. Loki can feel the eyes of the Mad Titan on him, and he hates the chills he gets. When Thor asks him about his pale complexion and shaky hands, he brushes him off with a comment of how he worries too much.

Loki thinks, scratch that, he _knows_ that Thanos is there for the infinity stones. Why he doesn't purge the ship of half of the people on it and take it right now will perhaps always be a mystery. It is almost like he is taunting Loki with his presence. The threats he made before the invasion took a back burner status for a while, but recent events have moved it up. It occupies a front and center spot in his mind and no matter how much mediation he does, he can't erase the nagging feeling.

_He is coming. You aren't prepared. This is bigger than you. Unfathomly bigger._

_Destroy the stone while you still can._

They arrive a week later. 

 

******

 

It is surprisingly hard to find a place that would take in hundreds of aliens, but Midgardians do make most things harder than they need to be. They divide their land into little chunks and fight over whose chunk is whose. Then, they make it even more complicated by dividing _those_ chunks of land into even smaller chunks that you have to purchase, which, fair enough. You have to buy land, but why do you have to buy land no one is using or wants? Like most Midgardian customs, it is foreign to Loki.

Thor decides to go to his friends there, the _Avengers_ , because he thinks they might be able to help him out. Loki stays behind with the Asgardians and tells Thor not to make his presence known. He knows he is hated, and the Asgardians are desperate for a separate place to live.

They can't just assimilate into the world. Most of them are too strange, even if they are human-passing. Korg and Miek would have nowhere to go, and the rest of them would only take a week before they would be without a job and food. Some might even be imprisoned for assault or some other crime, as they are unaware of the customs here.

So Loki stays behind, both to better their chances and to avoid Stark's terrible jokes he will inevitably make about their last encounter. He could really do without that.

Thor returns with good news. After hearing about their situation, Stark has given them quite a bit of land in a place known as "Canada." He said it is remote enough that they won't see many mortals and it has a lot of wildlife to hunt and fish. Asgard isn't much into farming. Most of their food came from domesticated animals or kills made in a hunt. 

Stark also hired many builders to build them houses and shops to get started with. The Asgardians only live on the ship for a week before it is finished and they head north to their new Asgard.

This "New Asgard" looks like what Stark described as a contemporary small town. The buildings are aesthetically pleasing, for Midgardian architecture. Loki is internally impressed, from his window in the spaceship. He look around it until Stark leaves, wishing to stay hidden for his own personal ease. He doubts he would end up in a special prison somewhere, but he doesn't want to deal with all of the drama that would ensue.

Loki spends a month in New Asgard before he realizes that he can't live here.

He doesn't fit in anywhere. It seems childish, but he isn't a farmer or a hunter. He isn't a leader or a weaponsmith. He is an artist of the magical variety and a protector. He likes to learn new magic and get better at what he already has. All of the books on magic burned up on Asgard and Midgard doesn't have any, so he is left screwing around and firing in the dark, metaphorically speaking. Even Brunnhilde, who seemed like a promising and interesting friend at first, grew to be another one of Thor's battling partners, only interested in battle and alcohol.

He, of course, hates all of the things there is to do for entertainment. He hates drinking copious amounts of alcohol and fighting or talking about fighting or listening to stories about other people fighting. There is no class and nothing entertaining about war or drunken brawls.

Loki tells (read:bitches to) Thor about his problems and Thor suggests joining the Avengers and living in a facility with his teammates. Loki hates this idea, and isn't shy about voicing his opinions on the matter. 

He goes about his day-to-day life, doing his usual stuff and growing increasingly bored by the hour with no signs of it ever stopping. Thor's words to him lurk behind him, like an itch demanding to be scratched. They nag him, telling him that anything is better than staying here.

He may be a little dramatic, but what's new? While taking an evening walk and admiring Midgard's twilight, he sees someone get tossed out of the window of the town pub. Cheerful shouting follows at the excitement of a fight.

It isn't the first time that he has had a peaceful night interrupted by a fight, but it is the last straw. Midgardians can't be much worse than these _classless idiots_.

In the morning, he abruptly announces to Thor that he is going to take his advice and join the Avengers, if permitted. Thor is very happy and tells him where to find the facility. Loki teleports out of their little town in Canada and onto the doorstep of the facility.

It's that easy. He has left Asgard and on to a new start for himself. Now, he just has to face the Avengers.

He presses a button next to the door and hears a ring inside of the building. He looks through the large glass windows surrounding it, hoping to see Banner inside. Although Loki is still weary of the beast, Banner knows him better than the rest of the Avengers and could increase his chances of making it on the team.

Who would've thought that in a few years, a blink for Loki, he would be joining the very same people that defeated him.

After a minute or two, he hears an electronic female voice come from above him. "Mr. Stark would like me to inform you that you are not welcome here and he will use force to remove you from the property if you do not respect his wishes. I am paraphrasing, of course."

He sighs. Of course Stark would make everything difficult for him. "Could you tell him that I am here to apply for the Avengers?" Might as well rip the bandage off now. Plus, Loki could appeal to Stark's curious nature.

Another minute goes by, and the door clicks, signaling that it is unlocked. Loki walks into the building to an open room with minimal furniture and a high ceiling. He sees Stark walk in looking less than pleased.

"If you try anything, _anything_ at all, Banner is in the other room and FRIDAY will call him in here," Stark says. Great start. Getting the threats out of the way is a good way to start a healthy conversation.

"I imagine he didn't tell you of our time together, given that you seem to be surprised I am here." His voice raises in pitch at the end, like he is asking a question.

"No, he didn't. I assumed you were still dead. Pretty good at faking it, huh?" 

"I am the Trickster, God of Mischief, all that nonsense. It is my signature thing," Loki says lightheartedly.

"So. You want to apply for the team," Stark says.

"Yes, can I talk to Captain Rogers? He is the leader, right?"

"Rogers, yeah, no," Tony says, "He is not on the team anymore. He is a fugitive at the moment."

Interesting. "Captain America himself," he says absently.

"Yeah, anyways, I am currently the team leader, so your application goes through me. We don't really have a process, as you are the first person to ever walk up to the front door and ask for a spot, but I can come up with something."

"Maybe start with why I want to join?" he suggests. He doesn't know how traditional Midgardian job applications go, but the question seems simple enough.

"Right, so why do you?"

"Trust me, I am still figuring that out myself. I was living with the Asgardians, and they were annoying me for several reasons. I'm not much of a fighter, while they all live on fighting, whether sober or drunk." He pauses, Tony still watching him intently. "There are a lot of reasons, which are none of your business."

"Hmm. I get it. You want to join our little band of misfits we've got here because you yourself are a misfit toy."

Loki glares at him. "Precisely."

"Great. How do I know that this isn't some kind of a plot to infiltrate the Avengers and win over the team?"

"You beat me once when I had allies. You could do it again."

"Yeah, but you killed a bunch of people and injured countless others before we took you down."

"That was years ago. You mortals hold grudges too tightly," Loki says. That isn't really true. The dwarves still probably want to kill him for the last incident when Loki was just a few centuries old, a teenager in human years. And Asgard committed a thousand year long genocide on Jotunheim because of a war that many people don't remember.

Tony is staring at him, waiting for Loki to make a real case for himself. Loki caves. "Fine, how is the security in this facility?"

"The best in the world, why?" 

Loki doubts that is true, there are windows everywhere that he could break easily and all one has to do to enter is ring the doorbell to get in, but he is desperate. The last thing he wants is to do is have to go back to New Asgard and live there for the rest of his life. 

Loki doesn't answer Tony, just holds up his hand in front of himself and pulls the Tesseract out of his pocket dimension.

"Holy shit, is that real?" Tony asks.

"Yes, it was stored on Asgard and I took it to keep it safe." Okay, so _maybe_ his intentions were less than wholesome, but everyone lies in a job interview.

Tiny reaches out to grab it, but Loki snatches it away from him before he can. "What?" Tony asks.

"If this falls into the wrong hands, it could result in the destruction of the universe. I wish I was being hyperbolic when saying that. Do you understand?" he threatens.

"It won't be leaving my lab. It's got the best security of the whole building," Tony says. He takes it and puts it on a table next to him. "Congratulations, Loki. You passed. It may be a horrible decision that I will regret later, but I am in charge, so I don't know what they expected. You get a guest room for now. It has a bunch of generic stuff in it, but I can have FRIDAY get you some furniture by the end of the day. Just tell her what you need and she will order it. Literally anything. I've got deep pockets."

Loki frowns. "Is this the same person that spoke to me outside?"

"What? Oh, yeah. FRIDAY can hear you from anywhere. She also watches over the building and security. So, no funny business."

"Who else lives here?" Loki asks out of pure curiousity.

"Well, I do. Banner does. Technically Natasha does, but she is usually out so you won't see her. Lots of people pop in and out." Not really an answer, but he will eventually find out. 

Loki nods and sits awkwardly.

"So, if we are doing anything as a team, or if there is a threat, FRIDAY will let you know. Hey, FRIDAY, take him to his room."

"Of course, Boss. Up the stairs right behind you, Mr.," she says, trailing off.

"Um," He hesitates, not sure of his proper surname. "Odinson." He settles on it, the name freeing to him. Like dropping all of the baggage he was carrying and never looking back.

He walks up the stairs and follows FRIDAY as she leads him through the maze of design that is the facility. He finds his room and enters.

Loki takes in his surroundings. The room is decent sized, which is an upgrade from his tiny room in New Asgard. It has very plain furniture and a brown and white color scheme, and he grimaces at the monochromatic design. He gets to work, imagining how he would like it to look. As he works, he creates illusions to test how he likes it. He replaces the disastrous brown bed frame with a matte black frame. He adds several shelves and plants on top of them. The harsh lights are replaced with magic candles (which are like normal candles, except they don't melt and won't accidentally start a fire. Oh, and they shine green in Loki's case). The dirty brown carpet is replaced with white hardwood floor with a dark green rug covering most of it. 

He adds a few things like a workbench to make different magical objects and personalizes the room to his taste. When he is finished, he steps into the center and gives it one more look. 

"FRIDAY, can you see these illusions?" he asks. He feels a bit weird talking to a disembodied voice.

"I can, Mr. Odinson. Would you like me to order the items I see?" It makes him uncomfortable that this voice is always watching him, but he won't let it bother him too much. He has bigger problems.

"Yes, please, except the candles." He will have to make those on his own, as well as the holders for them. "Could you order some wax and iron as well?"

"Should I hire a team to install everything and paint the walls?" she asks.

"No thank you. I can do that myself."

"It is ordered and should be here within a couple hours."

"Thank you."

He doesn't really have anything to do until the furniture arrives. He looks around the room for anything to do and finds a flat device that he recognizes as a computer. He gets on it and starts researching recent events with the Avengers. He hasn't been around them in years and it would be good to get some information on the realm that has to defend an infinity stone.

The first thing he sees is a clip of Stark announcing that Steve Rogers and his affiliates are no longer part of the team. He is caught off guard until he remembers that he was told earlier that Rogers is a fugitive. Loki didn't think that a good portion of the team was included in that statement, but it makes sense that some of the team went down with him.

He spends the next few hours looking into everything he can find about how the breakup happened as well as some of the new enhanced persons that are now around. Scarlet Witch intrigues him, as does the Spiderman, but he stops when he gets to a, creature, he supposes, named Vision. 

The article doesn't include a picture of Vision, so he searches for one. There isn't much information that the press has been given on him, so Loki files that as something he should ask Stark about. Loki finds a photo of him. The first thing that he sees is a yellow stone in his head.

"FRIDAY, could you tell me what that is?" he asks.

"That is Vision, an artificial intelligence that is almost human in many aspects of his personality—"

"Yes, I know that. I meant to ask what the yellow stone in his head is."

There is a short pause. "I am sorry, Mr. Odinson. Boss has said that I am not allowed to give you this information."

Loki takes a deep breath in frustration. That only confirms his suspicions that it is the mind stone, which would be capable of giving life to that hunk of metal. "That's okay, FRIDAY. Where is Stark now?"

"He is in his workshop. I will alert him that you are coming."

He doesn't answer and immediately teleports there. Stark turns around and jumps when he sees Loki.

"Jesus, don't do that! You could give me a heart attack—"

"Spare me your blabbering. Did you use the mind stone to give one of your fragile creations sentience?"

"Well, technically—"

"Does Vision have the mind stone?" he yells.

"Yeah, he does, but Thor said it was okay for him to keep it."

"Oh, great, and because _Thor_ said it, that means everything is okay. Thor is an idiot! He probably, no, _definitely_  has no idea what someone could do with that thing."

"You're going to have to explain what the hell you mean because I don't follow you," Tony says calmly.

"Someone is coming. Soon. I saw his ship when I came to this realm. His name is Thanos. He means to kill half of the universe in order to save the other. It has to do with some petty grudge he has from when he was a child and his homeland was destroyed by famine. The point is, he needs the infinity stones to do it. Our advantage is that they are hidden. They are supposed to be distributed across the universe so no individual can become too powerful. The space and mind stone are in one place. That is a third of all that he needs to kill trillions of people."

Tony stares calculatingly at him. "So this Thanos to you is like you to a human. I mean, like, as far as how strong you are in comparison to him."

"No. Thanos has a select few minions called the Black Order. They to Thanos is like me to them. Or you to me. In short, he is much stronger than anything either of us have ever fought _without_ the infinity stones."

Tony stares through him and it makes Loki feel so exposed, like Tony is picking through him. Loki didn't want to give so much away about Thanos, but Tony got him talking and he feels exposed. It could be stress from discussing this clouding his perception, so he tries to relax.

"You had two infinity stones before."

"What? That is irrelevant," he says defensively.

"Right." The skeptical tone tells Loki that Stark has pieced together quite a bit about his past relationship with Thanos. Damn this stupid mortal and his stupidly smart mind.

He changes the subject. "Where is Vision right now?" 

"I don't know. He left with the witch a long time ago." Stark accused Loki of giving him a heart attack earlier, but the longer they talk, the more the reverse seems true.

"You let an incredibly powerful object leave with some girl and you did _nothing_? We are talking about the destruction of the entire universe!"

"I didn't let him leave! I tried my best to keep him. And that 'girl' is probably the strongest person on this planet. Haven't you done your homework on this?"

Loki considers him. He calms down and becomes more rational. "I understand. They are probably quite strong and can handle some threats on their own. I will try and trust your judgement," he grits out. There is some truth to that, but Stark's judgement is at best flimsy. Case in point, Loki being on this team after a five minute conversation and a bribery.

"Thank you!" Stark says like he just won the lottery. 

FRIDAY cuts into their conversation. "Mr. Odinson, your order has arrived."

Loki doesn't say anything. Although he is trying to be rational, emotion still rules his mind at this point and he still can't help but be afraid of having two infinity stones on one of the most fragile planets in the universe. He walks out and heads to his room.

The furniture is downstairs and he uses his magic to teleport it up and assemble it. It takes him a few minutes in total and the only thing he hasn't done is the lighting, which will take at least a few hours. He gets the wax and iron and moves them onto the desk. 

The first thing he has to do is make the room fireproof. His status in the Avengers is far from secure and if he burns down their building, he can imagine that would be grounds for kicking him out. Most of the process will take a lot of heat, so he makes sure that everything is safe.

He gets to work, heating and cooling the iron and wax to shape it. It takes time and he needs a lot of candles. They aren't the most efficient lighting method, but they are the one he prefers and he is willing to work for the look he desires. The wax must have spells casted on them to stay lit forever and change colors. 

After he is finished, he attaches them to the walls and lights them all simultaneously. The room bursts into color and illuminates his room. He smiles at the small accomplishment, and is grateful for the little bit of stability he has in this moment.

A subtle obsession tugs at him to protect the infinity stones from Thanos. No matter how hard see mortals will make it for him, he can't let the universe be destroyed because of his carelessness. Thanos is smart, and he will strike whenever he feels the world's defenses are lowered. With the already weak team of mortals divided and angry, and Asgard weaker than it has been in millennia, the opportunity is approaching. Loki is surprised he hasn't already come for them, and can only imagine that he is off getting the other stones at this very moment.

The selfishness he used to feel when thinking of Thanos is gone now. Loki no longer feels afraid of Thanos following through with his promise of kidnapping and torturing him. If it happens, Loki will only worry that the world far away from him has already fallen to Thanos.

The space stone is near enough that Loki is not concerned about it. Norns knows where the power, reality, soul, and time stones are. He has to find the only one he has certainty is not protected. 

This Vision thing will not know to conceal himself from sight, or he does not have the capacity to. Given that, Loki should be able to search the tiny planet in spirit within a week for the stone. 

He gets started, seeing as he has nothing else to do. He easily detaches his spirit from his body through meditation and looks around for strong magical signatures.

This realm is so different in how empty it feels when only looking at magic. If he were to go to another realm, like Alfheim or Vanaheim, he would see all of the seidr inside of people and magical signatures from a few hours ago. Midgard is empty. If he didn't know better, he would say that the planet is uninhabited. 

This will be quite useful to him. If he was on Old Asgard, the stone would still shine brighter than the rest of the magic, but there would be so much light that it would be almost indistinguishable from the rest. On Midgard, however, the first magical signature he comes across will be unusual, and will likely know the whereabouts of the stone.

He only travels a few miles, which is only a minute's time when traveling with only his soul, before he comes across a beacon of light. In this form it is almost too bright to look at directly, and if he didn't have experience traveling in this form, he would've fainted from the sensitivity on the eyes he looks with now. He sees the building it is in and lands there.

He immediately recognizes the building as one of the sanctums protecting Midgard. He has been here before, when he had the encounter with some magic user he forgot the name of.

"What is your business in this place?" Loki turns to direction of the sound of the voice. He sees some man who is definitely not the sorcerer he met with last time.

"I am looking for something. I have good faith that it is here," Loki says calmly in truce.

"You will not be taking anything from here," the man says. He taps his wrists together with a _boom boom whoosh_  and produces a magical circle that serves as a shield and as a weapon. "Leave now, or I will be forced to remove you."

Loki rolls his eyes and feels offended that this small mortal man thinks he is strong enough to move _him_. Before things get interesting, a familiar voice cuts in.

"Wong, stand down." 

"You know this man, Strange?" At first Loki thinks that the man—Wong, apparently—is announcing that the situation is strange, but Allspeak translates it a bit differently and Loki realizes that the sorcerer that he despises' name is Strange.

"We've met," Loki says neutrally.

"What can I do for you?" he asks.

Loki turns to him and gives him a once over. He stops on the glowing green charm that hangs from his neck. He quickly pops into soul form to see if it is the beacon he spotted from outside. He nearly blinds himself with its brightness this close, and interestingly, neither sorcerer shines in the way he expects sorcerers to shine. He guesses it is because they borrow from the Yggdrasil instead of take from within like true sorcerers do. He pops back into his body.

"Which stone is that? Is it the time stone?" Loki asks.

"What? Oh, this. Yes, it is," Strange says cockily.

Loki stops and decides that this man cannot possibly have enough strength to defend an infinity stone. He decides that if he can take it from Strange, then the man does not deserve it. If the sorcerer succeeds in defending it, then he can keep it.

He is currently standing between the two wizards, which serves his fighting style well. He creates an illusion in the place he is standing and teleports away to the side. Although only a split second has passed, Strange must have noticed something, because he conjured a blade of orange light and sliced through the illusion. Loki summons his knives and steps out of hiding.

Wong, with his ignorant bravery, attacks first and clumsily. Loki doesn't use his knives and sends a burst of force his way, binding Wong to the floor out of the way. He temporarily mutes the man so he can't reveal any tricks to his colleague.

Strange flies up using his stupid red cape. It doesn't have any tactical advantage and Loki is experienced enough to not be intimidated by such a maneuver, so the act is useless. Loki throws a knife at him and at the same time casts an illusion behind Strange. The knife is blocked with the cape (demonstrating no skill whatsoever) and falls to the ground. Loki throws his other knife which also uselessly falls, but the purpose of it was to distract. 

In the split second that Strange is distracted, Loki switches places with his illusion. He throws himself in the grasp of the cape, which wouldn't attack his illusion, but will attack his actual body. He fights against it and his strength is enough to bring Strange to the ground. 

An illusion is still standing in front of the sorcerer, staring smugly at him. The cape, with its mind of its own, doesn't let up and release Loki, which is good news for the Trickster. He has a very small window of which he can attack Strange before the cape blocks him entirely.

The illusion conjures a knife and steps forward to attack Strange. The split second before it reaches him, Loki switches places with it and holds the knife to Strange's neck. He leans away from the blade slightly and Loki scans his face to gauge his reaction. He is surprised to find not fear, but defeat.

Loki reaches out to grab the stone. He puts his hand on it and immediately feels a horrible burn. His hand recoils reflexively. In his Jotun form, he might be able to grab it, but he doesn't feel like putting all of that effort into grabbing it. Plus, Thanos, nor any of the Black Order, are Jotnar, so there is no point in trying to take it.

Strange attacks him with an orange circle and Loki staggers backward. He considers surrendering then but Loki is having too much _fun_. He hasn't had a magical fight in years and Strange makes a good rival.

If he didn't have that damn cape and charm on the stone, Strange would not last a second against Loki. Loki decides to test his skill without those things. 

Strange starts throwing his little portals to send Loki out of the building. Loki dodges them easily. Although he could just use magic to counter them, he isn't ready to reveal that little trick of his. 

He conjures up two illusions and attacks Strange with his knives all at once. This time, instead of getting wrapped up in the cape, he dodges it swiftly, while his illusions are dealt with by Strange. The cape follows him, off of Strange's body and after Loki. 

Loki creates several illusions, waiting for Strange to screw up. It takes him a minute, but the sorcerer can't help but show off his little portals. At the first instant that he conjures one to take out two illusions, Loki switches places with one. The cape immediately follows him and is taken through the portal along with Loki. He wipes out the portal as soon as himself and the cape are through and switches places with an illusion.

With the cape out of the way, Strange is much more vulnerable. Loki tries to use a counter charm against the protective spell on the stone but he fails. With time, he is confident he could break it, but right now he doesn't have time.

Strange is obviously frustrated with Loki's cockroach-like behavior. Loki decides to spare him. 

"That is enough." He releases Wong from his spells.

"I am confused," Strange says with his hands still ready to cast a spell.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he spits out, "I do trust that the time stone is safe with you for now."

Strange smiles smugly. "Was that a compliment? I'm flattered."

Loki glares at him. "It is an observation. If it proves to be untrue I will kill you myself."

He doesn't wait for Strange's witty response. He teleports back to the Avengers Facility.

 _Three._ Three infinity stones on one planet, one with a robot and one with an arrogant sorcerer who has only been practicing for a few years. If it were possible, Loki thinks he would die of an aneurism right here on the porch steps of his former enemies. 

He is exhausted from the fight and stress so he walks up to his room without his usual posture. He opens the door, expecting to have a bath and go to sleep. Instead, he is struck by thousands of photos of some strange-looking man with a stupid smile and curly red hair. The photos are taped to the walls and furniture so that every surface has the man's face on it.

He almost screams in anger.

"FRIDAY, what is this?" he asks.

"This is William Sheeran, also known as Ed Sheeran. He is a popular musician. I can play some of his songs if you would like?" Loki swears the creature, robot, whatever, is smiling behind the speakers. He sees no point in retaliating to a voice that isn't responsible for this.

_I was gone for no more than ten minutes, and already Stark has brought it upon himself to make my life hell._

Loki would confront him now, but he is still very tired. He walks into the bathroom which, thankfully, doesn't have any photos. 

He turns on the water and manually takes off his clothes. He gets in the warm water and grabs a bottle of shampoo off of the wall. He scowls at the ingredients label, noting to ask FRIDAY for some hair products that don't contain all of these harmful ingredients. Before he finishes washing it out of his hair, he doses off in the bath. 

He wakes up after who knows how long still in the water. His skin feels weird after sitting in steamy air and water for hours. He runs his fingers through his hair and the mysterious ingredients in the hair products must have damaged his hair severely. It feels quite stringy and untidy. He rubs his eyes and finishes rinsing his hair in hopes of salvaging some of the natural oils in it.

He steps out of the bath and groggily dries off. The mirror isn't steamy enough for him to avoid seeing his reflection. He cringes at how tired and disheveled he looks. His eyes have bags under them and he doesn't want to get started on how his hair looks.  

So far, his time with mortals hasn't boded well for his general well being, but it has called attention to many problems that had not been aware of, namely the dangerously atrocious security of a planet housing three of the most powerful objects in existence. He doesn't know if all of the stress is better than the excruciating boredom he had on New Asgard, but pretty soon, his hair is going to start falling out. Quite literally, if he doesn't get better hair products.

He dresses in some casual Asgardian clothing. He steps into his bedroom and is reminded of Stark's attempts at being funny with all of the photos. He sighs, and takes them down one by one. Some of them, he crumbles up and lights them on fire in the palm of his hand, but his magic is drained, so most of them end up in a pile on the floor for him to burn later. 

After he finishes taking down all of the photos, the morning exhaustion has passed. Now that he is more awake, he is aware of how hungry he is. He hasn't ate since he left New Asgard. In case there is anyone in the kitchen, he casts a quick glamour on himself to make him look more presentable.

Finding the kitchen took some time as he didn't want to ask FRIDAY for help, but he isn't in a hurry. It is quite spacious as are all of the rooms in the building. 

He recognizes the refrigerator and stove. The specifics are different, but their general appearance is similar to Asgard's kitchen appliances. There are several other objects that confuse him (Why would you need anything else other than something to store food and something to cook it?) but he doesn't need them so he doesn't bother himself with figuring out their functions.

There aren't many dishes that are similar in Asgard and Midgard, particularly in the times of day certain foods are made, but after searching the pantry, Loki spots the ingredients for pancakes. On Asgard, the dish is usually one for peasants, but he always had a taste for pancakes, even if his brother always questioned why he would eat such a plebeian food.

He fixes six pancakes quickly and just before he thought that _maybe_ this could be a peaceful morning, he hears a voice from behind him. 

"Blueberry?"

Loki turns around and tries his hardest not to look irritated. "Hello, Stark."

"We have blueberries in the refrigerator. Syrup, too, if you are in to that," he trails off.

"Isn't that a little sweet for breakfast?" Loki asks. Usually Asgardians would eat them plain, or with some butter on top. Adding things to pancakes is unheard of.

"So?"

Loki shrugs and grabs the syrup and blueberries. He pops one of the blueberries in his mouth and then adds a few on his pancakes with a splash of syrup. Stark is still standing there like he is unsure of what to do with himself. Loki wonders if he should say something.

Stark finally speaks up. "Tony."

"What?" he says tiredly while putting the blueberries back in the refrigerator.

"You called me 'Stark' earlier. It's Tony. No need to be so formal, as we do technically live together now." 

Norns, are all mortals this inarticulate, or is this one a special case? "Alright, Anthony." Loki says, turning away with his plate full of food and hiding his face so Tony doesn't see the playful smirk on his face.

"No, really, Tony is fine," Anthony says, and is he _flustered?_

"If 'Tony' is fine, then Anthony is better," he states, as if that logic makes any sense.

The look on Anthony's face is too good to ever call him anything different. Loki was joking when he called him by his full name, but the name sticks. He sits down and starts eating his food.

"I've watched your interviews." 

"That's, okay?" he says.

"I meant to say, that you are never this bad at basic communication," Loki points out, "Are you going to eat anything?"

"Oh, yeah." Anthony ignores the previous sentence and grabs an apple. He bits into it, and with a mouth full of apple, asks, "Want anything else?"

Loki considers and asks for an apple. Anthony tosses one to him and he catches it smoothly. 

Pancakes with berries and syrup are much better than plain ones, he discovers. Maybe if Asgard knew about the combination, they would have been in favor of serving it to those of higher classes.

"This is weird, right?" Anthony asks.

"The apple tastes fine to me," he says plainly.

"No, I mean, the whole, you. Being here. Eating pancakes in my kitchen with a silk shirt I assume is casual dress for you guys. It's weird."

He feigns ignorance. "Why is it weird?"

"Well, because you are _Loki_. It's like, the opposite of finding your idol shopping in a grocery store. Your just, here. Eating pancakes."

"Is eating food unusual?" Loki continues.

"No, but sharing food with someone like you is." 

Loki almost laughs. Watching Anthony dance around the true meaning of his words is quite amusing. "What do you mean, someone like me? You have surely shared meals with Thor before."

"No, I mean, the last time I saw you, you were killing people." It hurts a bit more when he says it out loud. Loki didn't think this through well, possibly because he is very tired.

"Oh, yeah."

"What changed, if you don't mind me asking." Anthony looks at him analytically.

"A lot of things. You wouldn't believe me if I said them, though, so what's the point?" he says bitterly, biting into his pancakes. They are cold now, but he doesn't grimace at the taste of them.

"Try me."

 _Which one is the most presentable?_  A huge reason is his mother's death, but he doesn't really want to talk about that. There again, he could use some trusting allies...

"My mother died."

Silence, probably from shock. "What was her name?"

"Frigga. She was kind and believed in me until the day she was killed. She was wise. She was the one who taught me magic, so I could shine just like Thor.

"She died because of me," Loki continues, unable to stop the words flowing smoothly from his mouth. "I gave her killer directions out of the dungeons. It shook me from a lot of my anger and hatred of Thor and Odin and put a lot of things into perspective."

Loki looks up at Anthony. The half eaten apple is hanging from Anthony's limp arm, like he forgot about it entirely. "Wow."

"What were you expecting? That after a stern talking to from my brother and a timeout in Asgard's dungeon I would realize the error of my ways?" he says mockingly with a smile.

Anthony laughs and breaks the tension. "I don't know. Not something so, _human_ , for lack of a better word."

Loki can tell he wants to ask more, to continue pressing and figuring him out. It's in Anthony's nature, and Loki is happy to indulge. "If you have anything else you want to ask, then please do. I have quite a bit to answer for."

"It's just, I don't know how to explain it. You seem so, _different_. I constantly have to tell myself that this is the same person who killed people and wanted to take over the world," he says neutrally.

"Like I said, a lot has happened over the past few years. A lot happened before I did those things." 

Loki looks at Anthony expecting more questions after his vague answer, but he doesn't ask. He sits on that countertop with the apple still in his hand staring at him with so much power and intelligence. Loki can see just how smart he is, can see the gears turning and his mind analyzing him. 

It makes him feel vulnerable, yet at the same time, hopeful. Like this mortal will be able to see past the sharp edges he wears and understand him. 

He can't get into the reasons for his actions. He can't talk about the manipulation he faced at the hands of the scepter and Thanos. His obsession with defeating Thanos has to be purely out of the goodness of his heart, not out of revenge for the man who thought he could bend the Silvertongue's mind without any consequences.

Anthony coughs, bringing him away from his thoughts. "So, Strange called."

 _Strange_. Figures that he would be on the Avengers' radar. "What did you talk about?"

"You know damn well what we talked about," he says playfully, "Did you get your ass handed to you by Strange?"

"Is that what he told you? He is either an idiot, which is likely, or he doesn't know that I am in contact with you."

"Lokes," he says like a mother scolding a child, "What did you do to him?"

Loki tells him the story, how it was a test to see if Strange was strong enough to posses the infinity stones. Anthony seems surprised, so he must not have known about the time stone. He is captivated the whole time, hanging on Loki's every word as he has done the whole conversation. 

"I left Strange there, bloodied and bruised with the time stone, but his determination and bravery impressed me," he concludes, with all of the dramatic flare of someone like himself.

"Damn. You are a good storyteller. That's quite a different narrative than what he told."

He shrugs. "I may have embellished." At least Loki admits it. Thor would have you believe that an enemy army of hundreds was really an army of thousands just to make himself seem mightier.

FRIDAY interrupts them. "Boss? Mr. Parker is here for training."

"I'll meet him in the gym," he says, "That's my cue. See you around, Lokes." Apparently, Anthony has his own nickname for him. Loki rolls his eyes and teleports up to his room.

Loki is still tired from everything, but his brain won't let him relax. He thinks about less consuming tasks for a minute.

How does he protect half of the infinity stones from Thanos and the Black Order? Simple answer, he doesn't. He gets allies.

He is already allied with Anthony, and by extension the rest of the Avengers (although they won't be happy about it). The issue with that is the team is smaller than it was when he invaded the planet. He needs to get Rogers back on this side for the good of the planet. 

Although Loki could search for him the conventional way, he decides to make a tracking spell. FRIDAY leads him to one of Roger's old uniforms, which, in addition to a few ingredients that he spent a bit of time teleporting around the world to find, allow him to find his location.

The spell works, and binds to his instincts, telling him where to go. He teleports to where he senses he should go, and finds himself in a lab, face-to-face with Captain America himself. With a beard, which does suit his fugitive appearance, if that's what he is going for.

He would pat himself on the back for how well the spell worked, but it seems that his jaw has connected with Roger's fist.

He is still a bit dizzy from all of the magic he has worked in the past hour or so, so he falls over.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asks loudly.

"Steve, who's this?" A one-armed man with long hair walks in Loki's sight.

"This is Loki. He killed people and tried to take over the world." Decent summary, Loki supposes. It is enough for the man, who Loki now recognizes as James Barnes.

"Hasn't Thor come and talked to you? I've, how do you all say it? I've turned over a new leaf."

Loki hears footsteps and a girl's voice. "Is everything alright in hear? I detected an energy burst and wanted to make sure you lovebirds weren't destroying my lab." She walks in and sees Loki on the ground. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asks, and Loki is starting to wonder if the whole universe is playing a joke on him.

"I am trying to help the security of the universe, but it seems my efforts are unappreciated."

"Is that what the kids are calling world domination these days?" The one-armed man says.

"Geez, you try to take over the world _once_ ," he says, mostly to himself, but the girl laughs and helps him up while shooing Rogers away.

"Let the man _speak_. He may have something of value to say," she says.

"Thank you very much, Madam," Loki says.

"No 'madam', it's Shuri."

"Thank you, Shuri. Now, onto the matter at hand." He is way too dizzy and tired to be civil to these two idiots. At least the girl is on his side. "In short, the universe is going to be destroyed because you two and Anth—Stark, won't put aside your differences and protect the planet."

"Yeah, that's not gonna cut it. We need the long version," Barnes says.

Shuri turns to the man. "Bucky, could you give this man a break? He is not a mass murderer, even I can tell that much."

Loki really likes her. She is observant, until these two idiots with patriotism for brains.

"If you insist on the long version, then I will deliver. A titan by the name of Thanos needs all six of the infinity stones, you know what infinity stones are, right?" They nod. "If he gets all of them, he will randomly kill half of the population of the universe with a single snap. The death toll will be in the trillions _before_ you account for scrambles for power, war, and other unforeseen consequences."

"How do we stop him?" Rogers asks.

"If it comes to it, we can destroy the stones, but stones can be used to help people and solve many problems, so that solution isn't preferable. Protection is what I aim to do. Which is where you two come in."

"You're saying we've got to get back with the Avengers so we can protect the planet?" Bucky says.

"We can protect it just fine without the Avengers. Plus, Tony doesn't want anything to do with us. He has my number if he wants to call me. He hasn't in three years," Rogers pouts.

"I will deal with Stark. This is bigger than both of you. You have been in war, so you _must_ know what it is like to fight for a cause greater than yourselves. I suggest you recall what that is like for the good of the universe."

Loki sees his words register with the soldiers. They say nothing, but they don't have to. All they have to do is show up.

Loki leaves and teleports back to the front door of the Avengers facility. He would teleport straight to his room, but that may trip an alarm. Anthony and his voice in the ceiling both have an obsession with security and surveillance, but so far it serves Loki's purposes, so he won't complain about it.

Plus, exercise and all that nonsense.

Loki opens the door and walks in. He is greeted by a child standing in the center of the room. The child looks wary, like he is expecting to be attacked at any moment. Upon seeing Loki, he springs up onto the ceiling, which is about ten meters high. It is an impressive jump for mortal, to say the least. His fingers and feet are the only thing holding him in place, which confuses Loki.

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Oh my god please don't kill me I'm just a kid!" he calls out.

"Stop your senseless pleading. I'm not going to kill you. Get down here." The child cooperates. "Are you Mr. Parker?" He wonders if this is the person Anthony left to train.

"Yes, oh my God Loki knows my name," Parker says, although Loki thinks that he didn't mean to say that out loud. His suspicions are confirmed when the kid blushes and gives a quiet, "oops."

Anthony comes running in the room with a suit forming on his body, seemingly from nothing. _Neat_  is the only response Loki's exhausted brain can come up with. 

The Iron Man puts up his repulsors and locks on Loki. He waits there, clearly expecting an explanation.

"No no no no no Mr. Stark wait a second! He said he wasn't going to kill me! We can trust him," the child says.

"Are you sure about that, kid?" Anthony asks with a calm, cool voice, but the anger and concern is present. It hurts Loki more than it should. He has known this mortal personally for two days, and already he is hated. On arriving here, he thought he could keep to himself and help the team out when necessary, but already he has grown attached to this one mortal. The man who took a risk for him when he had no reason to, and then accommodated for him. He actually wanted to hear about Loki's side of the story, instead of believing the stories told by Thor. 

Loki cares about him, and that scares him, because the feeling is apparently not mutual. In a fit of rage, he teleports into his room.

It is a reflex thing, fleeing to his room, a habit that has stuck with him since his childhood. On Asgard, whenever he was upset, he would run to his room and slam the door shut. Sometimes his mother would enter the room in a few minutes and they would talk about it, but as he got older, this happened less. Usually, he would fume for a minute or two, and then sneak around the castle causing chaos to cheer himself up. It was all very petty stuff, like tripping people or moving their stuff around when they aren't looking, but their reactions was what he was always going for.

Anthony and Banner are both too smart to be fooled, and picking on children has never been something he gets joy out of, so he sticks to the fuming part.

Not a minute after he left for his room, he hears a knock at his door. He stands up to open it and sees the child standing at his door, all smiles.

"Hello, so, um, well, I just thought." He takes a breath. "I think we got off on the wrong foot, which is totally my fault, so I think we should try this again."

Loki stares at him like he is crazy. 

The kid sticks out his hand. "I'm Peter."

 Loki takes his hand and shakes it. "Loki. It's nice to meet you."

"Can I come in?" Loki side steps as if to say yes. "Ohhh, so you're the new Avenger!" he says in response to the room.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." It is still strange to say out loud.

"Well, it's just, Mr. Stark said there was a new Avenger, and whoever he is, was very stressed out and wanted me to help him prank you. It makes more sense now, since you are the God of Mischief and stuff. At the time I just thought it was some weird ritual for new members. I was a bit disappointed they never did it for me."

"It was hardly a prank. It was just a bunch of photos."

"It was funny, though, right?" Peter asks.

Loki shrugs, secretly agreeing. In hindsight, it was quite funny. He will have to keep it in mind when he visits his brother.

"So, why did you bounce out of there so quick earlier?"

"I didn't 'bounce' anywhere."

"Figure of speech, don't you guys have any of those, or do you just talk proper all the time?"

"We do, but they don't translate well. _Anyway_ , I left because I didn't want to get blasted in the face by Iron Man. Obviously," He lies.

"You've been blasted by him before, and it barely made a scratch."

Loki rolls his eyes. "It still hurt and I don't wish to relive it."

"Well, for whatever it is worth to you, I quickly explained the situation to Mr. Stark after you left and he seemed guilty. So, if you guys want to like, talk it out, and stuff, I don't think he will blast you." Peter smiles at him.

Peter awkwardly waves and leaves the room. Loki sits on his bed and sighs, putting his head in his hands.

 _Damn Anthony and his ridiculously magnetic personality_. Loki stands up and walks to the front room where Anthony is, this time without the suit.

"Hey, Lokes," he shouts in a desperate and obvious attempt to be casual.

"Hello, Anthony. Where did Peter go off to?"

"Oh, he had to get back home to his aunt. Couldn't stick around, sadly, though I would take him in if he wanted to. I offered actually, about a year ago, but he said no. Very noble of him," he rambles.

"Anthony, calm down. I get it. You were trying to protect the child. You are probably having doubts about accepting me to the team after a five minute conversation." He looks as if he wants to protest but Loki doesn't let him, and continues, "You drew a reasonable conclusion from the information you had. I'm not coming down here to deliver some monologue about how I have snapped and am resuming my plans on ruling Earth."

"Actually, I thought you were going to leave the team."

That doesn't make sense. Anthony was fine without him two days ago, so he should be able to continue protecting the planet without Loki.

"Why would you think that?"

"This is a team. It's supposed to be built on trust and all that bullshit. But if I can't trust a member of the team, then why would you want to be on said team?"

He doesn't respond to that. Instead, he thought about what he said. There were no revelations made or anything, but he recalls his encounter earlier with the other half of the team.

"That reminds me. I talked to Captain Rogers earlier and we came to the conclusion that you need to call him to improve the security of the planet," he says, internally thinking about how easy their issues could have been solved if they exercised their basic communication skills.

"Did you say Rogers? As in the Star Spangled Man With A Plan? The _criminal_?"

"Yes, I did. I would be willing to moderate a face-to-face dialogue if you need someone." Loki smirks with the knowledge that that isn't the problem Anthony has with it.

"You don't know the full story here!" His eyes go distant for a moment with a look that Loki recognizes. It is one of battle, of warriors who come back to Asgard and never quite shake off whatever happened to them on the battlefield. "He did some _really_ shitty stuff, and I can't, I can't trust him."

"You can't trust me, and yet here we are. I did things as well, worse things than whatever occurred between you two. I killed people long before I invaded your planet, and yet here. I. Am." He didn't raise his voice, but he was more forceful in his speech.

Anthony sighs. "You're different. You at least admit that you did some bad things. All Steve sees is righteousness in everything he does and he can't see past that," he says bitterly. Loki recognizes the half truth, but he doesn't comment on it.

"How do you know? Have you given him a chance?" Loki points out.

"I know him, Lokes."

"Three years is a long time."

"It is," he says. "It is," he repeats, more wistfully. "Goddamn it. Where is that phone?" He pats his pockets and pulls it out.

Loki raises an eyebrow at him. "Do you carry it with you everywhere?"

"It's for emergencies. Never know when you might need back up." He flips it open and pushes a few buttons, rolling his eyes at the outdated technology.

Anthony raises it to his ear and waits. Loki hears a voice from the other end and decides to give them their space, at least in the corporeal form. 

He leaves and steps around the corner, pretending to head to his room. He stops when he is out of Anthony's sight and mumbles a spell to allow him to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Three years, huh?" That is Rogers, speaking with disbelief.

"Yeah, well, you have Loki to thank for that. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be talking to you at all." 

"Right, I'll be sure to thank him for that," Rogers says sarcastically, "D'you want to do this over the phone or in person?"

"Face-to-face. How long would it take you to get to the Avengers facility?"

"Uh, two hours at most."

"Perfect. See you then."

Loki can't see either of their faces, but he imagines they both look like a messy mixture of hopeful and bitter.

Loki heads up to his room and removes the glamour that makes him look presentable. He was intending on showering, but he is too tired to do even that, so he climbs into bed and goes to sleep.

 

******

 

When he fell asleep, he thought he would sleep for two hours and be awake in time to see the chaos that would ensue from Anthony and Rogers being in the same room together. 

He sits up and checks the time. He is disappointed to see that he slept for about five hours. Luckily, he got enough rest to replenish his energy and magic, and can therefore successfully steal some hair products.

He would ask FRIDAY to get him some, but he needs it now and forgot to ask earlier. He teleports to a store that is closed and finds some hair products that are actually usable instead of the garbage that Anthony apparently gives his guests.

He takes a long shower and soaks in all of the hot water and washes his now smooth and silky hair. He steps out and dries off, and then puts on his Asgardian casual clothes that he was wearing earlier.

He is quite hungry and goes to the kitchen. On his way there, he sees Anthony sitting apart from Rogers and Bucky. They are all watching something on the large screen in front of them.

Anthony notices him walking down the steps. "Hey, Lokes! There is some Chinese food in there, still hot too. And we just started the movie, if you want to watch with us."

"I assume that the discussion went well?"

"Yeah, it did, right?" Anthony looks at the supersoldiers, who both nod.

Loki notices the uncomfortable tension that still sits between them. He doesn't doubt that Anthony only wants him there so he isn't a third wheel while the other two are spooning each other on the couch.

He nods and goes in the kitchen. There is some rice and chicken as well as noodles and green beans. He takes a little of each. The spices and sauces are unfamiliar to him and he wants to try them out.

He walks back into the silent living room and Anthony plays the movie. As the movie plays, he takes a seat next to Anthony. 

It appears to be a spy movie with people well versed in combat as well as tech. It is a strange film, but quite good overall. Loki always loved a good story.

They eat in silence while watching the movie. To Loki, the food tastes mediocre, but he blames the people who made it and makes a note to make some from scratch at some point. On the contrary, he enjoyed the film at its humorous and action filled highs and emotional climax. 

In general, it was a good night, if it wasn't for the awkward tension between everyone there. If anything, his presence made it worse, and he could hear Rogers aching to say something about it.

Instead, the soldier settles for a polite, "I had a nice time. Thank you, Tony."

"Yeah, don't mention it." Anthony wants to say more, but he cuts himself off, and waves at them.

Rogers and Bucky leave, and fly away in a Wakandan jet. Loki watches it fly off in the cloudy night and starts thinking.

"How come you can't trust them?" he says absently.

"Well, for starters—"

"No, I know they did stuff, and they won't admit to being wrong, but still. You trust _me_ of all people after a few days of knowing me, most of which I wasn't around you."

"Because, I don't know, I can read people. You seem more intelligent and loyal. Those two are both followers and people who follow their own agendas. It's not even about the Accords. Steve is a liar and I don't know if I can ever trust him again."

"Anthony, do you realize who you are talking to? Are you aware of how many nicknames I have for my lies?" Hundreds, if you count all of the hard to translate ones each realm created.

"But, it's different. You are different, I can't explain it," he says.

"Try," he demands.

Anthony pauses in frustration, gears turning. He settles on not using his words, and instead reaches up to Loki's shoulder and rests a hand on it for an instant, then kisses him.

It is a short lived kiss, the most innocent one he has ever received. It isn't supposed to be deep, but to answer the question of why Loki is different. He is different to Anthony because he likes him, somehow. It is a proposal, tossing the idea of more out on the table, but giving Loki plenty of space to run should he choose to do so.

He thinks for a moment at how he came to this point of uncertain feelings. Loki finds it odd that Anthony has at least base desire for him after such a short amount of time, but even stranger is that he has the same. He finds a curiosity that has manifested into a liking of this mortal. It is disastrous for more reasons than he can count, but he can't seem to stop himself.

They pull apart, and Loki just stares at him for a moment with his mouth slightly open and his eyes blinking slowly. Anthony takes his stare of disbelief and affection the wrong way, though. 

"Sorry, I—" 

Loki doesn't let him start talking, either because he will never stop, or worse, he will never start talking to him again. He grabs the back of his neck gently and pulls him up. Loki leans over and kisses him, much less innocently this time.

Anthony's fingers find a home in Loki's hair and his mouth opens slightly. Loki holds him by the small of his back and deepens the kiss.

They stay like that, finding ways to get closer and closer to each other until there isn't anywhere else they can go. Their bodies are pressed together and their arms are wrapped around each other. Everything seems to fit together, they fit so well and all of tension in the room fades away and is replaced with understanding of each other. They are tied together, not just at the mouth, but everywhere on their bodies, and in the less literal sense, where their souls are beginning to wrap around each other like a drop of dye in clear water.

It isn't enough.

"Do you want to take this to my bedroom?" Anthony asks with a low pitch voice and swollen lips that have a smile ghosted on them.

"Do you?" he asks rhetorically. Anthony laughs and Loki teleports them up to Anthony's bedroom.

Anthony doesn't take time to be shocked at the sudden change of place. He lets Loki pull his shirt off as well as his own. Before it hits the ground they are back together again, crashing their lips together. 

Loki feels a combination of so many things. He feels pure joy where he wants to giggle and smile in a way he hasn't felt in decades. He can't help but overthink things, and his mind buzzes with questions about the future that fill him with anxiety and uncertainty. He does his best to ignore them and focus on the present to enjoy it for what it is.

"Loki, I swear, if you have doubts, just say so, but don't stay in that head of yours," Anthony says.

"No, just a habit of overthinking. Don't mind it," he says honestly.

They are still standing very close to each other while speaking. "What do you want to do? Because, if you aren't comfortable with anal, that's fine with me—"

"Anthony, if you don't shut up right now." Trust him to never be able to stop rambling. Communication is important, but Norns, running your mouth doesn't help anyone.

"Do something about it then." His smile is way too satisfied.

An idea strikes him like a bird to a window. He doesn't even try to contain the maniacal smirk that spreads from the corners of his eyes to the ends of his mouth.

Loki starts on Anthony's jawline and kisses it very gently to make sure he doesn't leave any marks, but also because he wants Anthony craving more. 

He moves down his neck, not increasing pressure at all. He can't see Anthony's face, but he pictures that it is partially shock and partially lust, with little flushes on his cheeks darkening and spreading.

Loki feels his partner relax a bit (mission accomplished) and steps backward. He guides Anthony to the edge of the bed with a hand on his chest and maintains eye contact.

Anthony sits on the edge on the bed with his legs dangling off. Loki has a mission to confuse him as much as possible in the most fun way he possibly can, until he finally gets the game he is playing. When you have someone as chaotic as Loki, you can't expect him to make anything simple and straightforward.

Loki magics the rest of their clothes away. That catches Anthony by surprise, but by some miracle, he doesn't say anything about it. "Keep your hands at your sides," he says neutrally.

"Why?"

Loki answers with a glare and takes Anthony's fully hard cock in his mouth all at once. Anthony practically _whines_  but his hands don't move. Loki didn't know if Anthony would actually listen, but seeing that he has almost make some him want to drop his whole plan entirely. Almost.

He keeps his mouth at the base of his cock for a moment, and then comes up to the head, dragging his tongue along the back. He works it in little swirls, going clockwise and then counterclockwise rhythmically.

"You absolute fucking tease," he says with a little laugh.

Loki pops his mouth off to say, "Shh." 

The look on Anthony's face is priceless. He is frustrated, but he follows along because he wants Loki to continue, preferably do a little more, but he won't say that out loud. Little does he know that Loki can read it all over his face. He is confused, and Loki would bet that he has never been in a figurative position quite like this.

Loki takes Anthony to be the kind of guy who has always been dominant, whether he is with a man or a woman. He imagines that because of his social and financial status, most people are too intimidated by him to be anything but submissive. Loki is, of course, anything but intimidated by the man, Hel, he threw him off a building a few years back. 

So what does he do? He gets on his knees in front of Anthony, which to him, probably seemed like a pretty submissive thing to do. Then he gets to the fun part.

He focuses on the head of his cock, and reads the way his fists grab the sheets, the muscles in his abdomen tighten, and the sounds, the _beautiful_ sounds he makes. He bases all of the body language he reads on past lovers, but in the future, Norns, the _future_ , he will be able to read Anthony absolutely perfectly. When Loki senses that he is getting close to his orgasm, he ventures a bit lower, never all the way to the base, but a bit further. He loves to hear the little sounds, but interestingly, he never says any words. Anthony gets to the very edge, and the moans cut off into whines and it is fascinating. Loki wants to just hold him at this spot for ages, for the expressions and the sounds he makes. 

Then he comes back to the head and slows down his movements until he isn't moving at all, and the whines disappear. 

The most interesting part is that Anthony never glares at Loki, or asks why he stopped. All he ever does is a sound of protest. And he never once tries to put a hand on the back of Loki's head and coax him into giving him what he wants. 

Loki really does like to be listened to. He is glad that he doesn't have to spell it out to Anthony.

Anthony is on the fourth edge when he finally articulates a word. "Ah, please."

Loki replaces his mouth with a hand and moves up and down his cock at a medium pace. "Please, _what_?"

No glare. No anger. No frustration. Not even a _hesitation_. Loki has to stop himself from swooning. "Please make me come." Make, because it isn't like Loki told him he couldn't come, he just isn't bringing Anthony over the edge.

Loki pretends to consider him to drag the moment out. "Okay."

Anthony looks surprised for a moment, like he expected a different answer. Maybe he expected a 'no'. Maybe he _wanted_ a 'no'. The thought makes Loki quite intrigued, and he puts it on his to do list to find out what Anthony's reaction would be to being denied or teased for even longer. 

Loki takes his whole cock in his mouth for the second time and he revels in the scream he hears. It fills him with pride at making _the_ Tony Stark fall apart like this. A second later he feels Anthony's cock pulse and tastes his come. He enjoys the moment and absorbs the sensations happening around him, the sounds, sights, and flavors. He makes himself climax as well, certain that Anthony won't have any energy after he comes down from his own orgasm.

It is a very good moment, and he is sad it has to end.

Anthony flops back onto the bed he was sitting on. He giggles, which is a strange reaction from someone who just got their dick sucked if you _aren't_ Tony Stark. As it is, Loki is certain that he has some sort of quip to make.

"Goddamn. Trust you to be a kinky fuck." He never fails to deliver.

"Trust you to _like_ it," he remarks.

"Touché," he says, "Just give me a minute. I will gladly return the favor as soon as I can't feel my heart pounding in my chest anymore."

"That won't be necessary. I have already finished myself. Water?" he asks.

"That would be good, but if you scare Banner with your naked ass when he is in the kitchen, you are dealing with the Hulk, not me."

Loki rolls his eyes and produces a glass of water with his magic. Anthony grabs and drinks it gingerly.

"That's useful. I ought to keep you around," Anthony says.

"I will be happy to get you a glass of water at any time of the day," he says sarcastically, yet fondly. He sits down on the edge of the bed.

Anthony sips his water. "How the hell did your jaw not get sore? You were down there for, like, well actually I don't even know how long, but it was a while."

"Thirty-four minutes, Boss," FRIDAY says, which makes Loki jump slightly.

"I am much stronger than you, Anthony."

"Oh, right. Sorry, my post-orgasm brain is a bit slower than my normal brain." Anthony puts down the glass of water, now half empty, on the bedside table. "Are you waiting for an invitation?" He pats the half of the bed next to him.

"Oh, okay then," he says awkwardly. He climbs over onto the spot that Anthony gestured to and lays down. Even with the stamina of a god, he is still very tired.

The whole situation is so different to him. They confessed their feelings, if making out can be considered such a thing, less than an hour ago, and already Loki feels so comfortable around him. He has since he came to this building and started a new life with him. For all his quirks, Anthony is someone that Loki actually enjoys being around. He isn't afraid of how much he enjoys Anthony's company either. 

Anthony turns to him with a grin on his face. "What?" he asks.

"Nothing. Well, not nothing, just. You look so peaceful and innocent."

That's, not what he was expecting. Maybe he should have a little more faith in Anthony. "You are probably the only person who has ever told me that." He laughs softly.

"Really? You have never had someone call that soft, adorable expression of yours what it is?"

"I don't know if I have ever had a 'soft' expression in my life." 

The statement sits there, and Loki hopes he didn't just scare Anthony. He just laughs, to Loki's relief. "Are you saying I'm your first?"

"Get over yourself. You didn't deflower me." Anthony giggles.

"That would be so amazing if I did though. Imagine it. I could introduce myself as Tony Stark, the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist god deflowerer. Seriously though, I can't imagine that all of Asgard could just pass up that sweet piece of ass."

"Sure, they could take my ass. Sexual relationships were taboo enough, though, but for a man to have a romantic relationship with another man was unheard of." 

Anthony doesn't say anything. Maybe he wasn't expecting it. Or maybe...

"Of course, this doesn't have to be a romantic relationship if you don't want it to be," he says.

"No, no. Sorry, just, I wasn't expecting that homophobic aliens exist. You know what? Fuck any of your godly pals that say we can't be together."

Loki smiles. "I would love to see you stare down three Thor-sized men and tell them that."

"Why not? I could probably kick their ass in my suit."

"You probably could," he indulges.

Anthony slides over into the crook of Loki's arm. It surprises him at first, but he relaxes and enjoys the warmth of his body. They don't say anything else. Instead, they listen to the sound of each other's breathing and the rise and fall of their chests. 

They both have good dreams and a solid night of sleep that night.

 

******

 

"Boss, Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, Mr. Wilson, Vision, Ms. Maximoff, Dr. Banner, Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Thor Odinson are convening in the living room and are waiting for your arrival."

"Wha'" Anthony says groggily.

"It's your team. You deal with them," Loki says, and then tries to go back to sleep. 

"Nope, you are a part of this team now. Plus, it's your brother down there."

"And he is your shield brother."

Anthony ignores him. "I will beat you with a pillow if you aren't up in five seconds." Anthony grabs a pillow to prove his sincerity.

"I will curse you to only speak in rhymes if you touch me with that."

"Wait, can you do that?"

 _No_. "Yes."

"Meh, I'm calling your bluff." Anthony wacks him in the ass with the pillow. 

"Hey!" he says, mildly annoyed.

Anthony giggles. Loki rolls his eyes.

"Boss, Dr. Banner will be here in about ten seconds to bring you to the meeting," FRIDAY warns.

Anthony panics and runs to his dresser to grab some pants. Both of them are still naked and disshevled, so it will be very obvious to Banner that they are now an item if he sees them. 

Loki puts a glamour on Anthony to make him appear like he has clothes on. He won't appear to be wearing a shirt, for believability that he is, in fact, still getting ready. Loki makes himself invisible to everyone but Anthony, because although he could just teleport out of the room and conserve energy—teleportation is a relatively easy spell—he wants to watch Anthony's reaction. He also conviently forgets to tell Anthony about all of the spells, so he is still panicking. 

Banner knocks on the door and before Anthony can ask him to wait a moment, Loki opens the door.

Anthony freezes. "This isn't what it looks like."

"Really? Because to me, it looks like you are attempting to put on pants over another pair of pants." Loki surpresses a laugh.

"Yeah." He drops the jeans on the ground and goes with it. "Doesn't work very well." He shakes his head like he has made a great scientific discovery.

"Especially with how tight you wear your jeans. Well, everyone is waiting on you downstairs, but you already knew that. Thor told me, well, it was more like a declaration, to hurry up and get ready. But I can see you are working hard at that. By putting on two pairs of black skinny jeans."

"Aren't you, curious? About that?" he asks.

"Tony, at this point I don't care. I'm just glad you are getting some sleep." Banner leaves and closes the door.

Anthony glares at Loki, who by this point is laughing hysterically. "What the hell was that?"

"That," He pauses for dramatic effect. "Was revenge for what you and the Spider kid did."

"Don't talk about the kid when we are both still naked. It's weird."

Loki shrugs. "Get dressed before Thor busts in here and sees us with our dicks out, because if he does, I am not glamouring us. His face would be too funny."

Anthony grabs some clothes off of the floor and smells them. He puts them on. "Do you need to borrow some of my clothes? I have some washed ones in the dresser, I'm just lazy."

"No, thank you." He smiles and uses magic to put on some Asgardian casual clothes. His clothes are all black to be intimidating. As much as having good relations with the mortals is important to him, he won't sacrifice his reputation to achieve it. This is the first time some of them will be seeing him, and the first time in six years that he will be talking to any of them, so he won't be seen as soft and cuddly. 

"Are you actually wearing clothes right now, or are you making just making it look like you are?" Anthony asks. The former is true, but that doesn't stop Loki from winking mischievously at him.

"Should I go down now, or should we go down together?" Loki asks. _Is our relationship a secret_  is the question he is really asking, and Anthony picks up on it.

"Together, if that is fine with you. Most of them will probably be living with us, so sneaking around will be difficult. Plus, one is a partial AI partial I-don't-even-know-what, and there are, like, three spies. Maybe more than that, I've lost count. No secret stays that way for long with this bunch."

"Together it is," he says and helps Anthony with his hair.

They head downstairs together. Banner greets them. "Hey Tony, Loki." Banner squints his eyes a bit in observation. "Thor was just telling the story of his time in Sakaar." He leans in like he is telling a secret. "Take what he says with a grain of salt, Tony. Most of it is embellishment of what actually happened."

"The Mighty Hulk had me pinned down, and he was flinging me around and smashing me on the ground with his great strength. And then from somewhere within me I summoned the strength I needed. I used my lightning to send the Hulk flying into the air, but before I could claim the victory, the Grandmaster cheated."

"Lies, all of it," Banner tells Anthony.

"Now I can do this." Thor creates some little sparkles on his fingertips. "Tony Stark! Hello! I think now you must change Banner's status, as I have proven myself to be the strongest Avenger."

"Well, actually," Loki cuts in, "I would argue that the Hulk getting in good favors and persuading the Grandmaster is a strength in itself, and that he is still the strongest Avenger."

"Of course _you_ would say that," Thor says, "Brunnhilde told me about just how you got to be so close with the Grandmaster."

 _Well, fuck_. "I'm sure whatever she said, it was meant in jest," he says, looking around at the Avengers, who are all staring blankly at him.

"What does he mean?" Loki hears Anthony whisper to Banner.

"Loki got to be unusually favored by the leader of Sakaar in an unusually short amount of time. I wasn't there, but I heard about it and I am actually curious, though I have my suspicions."

"Nope, she was sincere. And she told me that you performed sexual favors—"

"I will not confirm or deny anything at this time." He cuts off Thor before he ends up having to stab him. He doesn't need anyone on the team having any ammunition against him, and going down on a million year old man in order to take over a garbage planet like Sakaar is definitely considered ammunition.

"Oh, that makes sense. I did think it was weird that you knew the passwords to the orgy ship," Banner says.

"Okay, you are definitely telling me about whatever the hell went on." Anthony appears to have suddenly remembered something. "Oh, yeah. For those of you who were not around six years ago, this is Loki. He is good now, for reasons that are complicated, but take my word on it. Loki, this is everyone." _Bless Anthony for not going into the details_.

Everyone has different reactions, from mumbling "hello" under their breath to a blank stare. He smiles at the team.

"So, Loki," Wilson says, "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that pretty much no one here is just going to accept that you are all butterflies and kittens now."

Loki sighs. "Yeah, I didn't think so either, though I thank you, Anthony, for trying to spare everyone the details." Anthony nods at him apologetically.

His mind starts working in overdrive. _What will they believe is true_? People believe what they want to be true, but they don't want him to be good, because that doesn't follow with how they see things. 

Except, there is one thing he isn't considering. He has Thor and Anthony on his side, and maybe Banner, at least partially. So, tell them about the parts that those people can attest to.

"There are a lot of things that I could tell you about." _The Mad Titan. The Black Order. They are coming. You aren't ready._  "But most of it you won't believe, so I will stick to the things that aren't too crazy."

He tells them about the past few years, never spending too much time on any single thing. He graces over his mother's death and any of the convincing stuff like how he was magically influenced and emotionally ruined during the New York invasion. Mostly, he just talks about some heroic bull crap that the Avengers will eat up, instead of the harsh reality that he isn't perfect.

He had some control over his actions when he invaded Midgard, and although he didn't want to help the Mad Titan, he had plans for keeping the realm to himself if he succeeded in conquering it. Now that he has ruled Asgard for a few years, he realizes that he would hate ruling Midgard, but he still wants to help them become strong like the other realms.

He had complete control of his mind when he tried to destroy Jotunheim and kill Thor. Not even Thor can excuse that. Loki hates remembering that part of his life.

He also was going to abandon Asgard when Hela came and stay on Sakaar. He was prepared to take over Sakaar and live there for the rest of his life, or at the very least never return to Asgard and save them from Hela.

Odin died, and all he felt was sympathy for his brother. He couldn't care less about the man who claimed to be his father.

He has pushed his brother away countless times, and still is, when he left to join the Avengers. Thor never lost faith in him, and he doesn't give him enough credit for that.

He is far from perfect, and even farther from innocent. But maybe he doesn't have to be those things to be a hero.

Bleh, he sounds so sappy. He blames stress and erases the thoughts from his mind as he concludes his story with Anthony.

"Anthony took me in, and I decided to try and do more good than bad. And that's it. Nothing too spectacular, if you were looking for a good story."

Everyone nods, except Thor, who looks as if he might burst into tears. "Thank you for sharing, brother." He claps dramatically.

Anthony pats him on the back, Loki isn't sure why, but he was never one to turn down praise.

"Okay, boring stuff done. Can we please get to the fun part, which includes, but is not limited to, alcohol, arm wrestling, charades, and alcohol. Twice the amount of alcohol, and please tell me that you have that special shit, Thor, so these grandpas can have a little fun." Anthony points a thumb at a slightly offended Rogers and Barnes.

"I don't have any on me—"

Loki interrupts Thor. "I can go get some." He leaves and returns with several bottles of Asgardian beer from the bars in New Asgard.

"You are the best!" Anthony says. "Okay, let's get started."

By the end of the night, Rogers and Barnes have made out twice, once on a dare and once unprompted. Loki, Banner, and Vision are the only sober ones and the experience is comparable to trying to keep a bunch of spilled water on a table using only your hands but the water keeps flowing off the table and now there is water everywhere and your attempts only gave you some wet hands and didn't help anything at all. Except instead of spilled water, it is Anthony making many poor decisions with kitchen appliances and Thor who is hanging off of Banner's arm and reciting love poetry to him. 

Loki carries Anthony bridal-style while the drunken man flails about in his arms babbling both to himself and to anyone around. He is too weak to break free and is taken upstairs to his room. Loki forces him to drink a glass of water before he can sleep, telling him that it is for his own good when he rejects it.

Loki contemplates leaving him here and going back to his own room, but he decides against it. Anthony is sprawled out on the bed having already passed out. Loki rearranges his limbs so he can sleep next to him. He hopes that in the morning, Anthony will still want him to be here and he won't wake up with this all having been a dream.

 

******

 

Loki wakes up before Anthony does. He spends a few minutes laying next to the sleeping man, watching not necessarily _him_ , but imagining the way his face lights up at a breakthrough with one of his inventions, or biting into a really good dessert. Little things that he hasn't got to experience with him, but soon will.

 _You make me so sentimental_ , He thinks, and contemplates saying out loud to the sleeping man.

Most of the team is now living under the same roof, and pretty much all of them will be very hungover. Loki takes it upon himself to make them breakfast. He gets Anthony a glass of water and puts it on the bedside table and then changes clothes and fixes his hair.

When he gets to the kitchen downstairs, he sees that Banner is already there making pancakes. He doesn't notice Loki at first,  but he doesn't react much when he does see him. Loki likes the casualness that surrounds Banner.

"I suppose we had the same idea," Loki says. He is a bit weary around Banner, but he hopes that he is hiding his fears well enough. The Hulk is a formidable enemy for Loki, who is used to being the strongest in the room, accounting for magic.

Banner nods. "Yeah. I don't want to deal with a hangry Thor. He can be a handful when he isn't hungover and starving. Wait, do Asgardians get hangovers? I never thought about that."

"Yes, they do. Are you sleeping with Thor?" he asks out of the blue.

"Not yet, if you are being literal, but we are dating, yes. I suppose you and Tony are sleeping together, though. He isn't one for taking things slowly."

"No, he isn't."

After Banner directs him to the bacon and sausage, they slip into cooking and talking about each other's partners as well as other aspects of their lives. It is all small talk, clouded over by focusing on the food in front of them.

One by one, the team files into the kitchen and are served their food by Banner and, to their surprise, Loki. Anthony is the last one to show up. Sleep is still holding onto him, which is apparent in his slumped posture and darkened eyes.

"You look like shit, Tony," Barnes says.

"At least mine is temporary," he jokes effortlessly. 

Anthony trudges over to where Loki is finishing off the last bit of bacon. He wraps an arm around his waist and leans on Loki for support. He doesn't react except for planting a small kiss on Anthony's forehead. 

No one says anything, and everyone resumes their conversation as normal, so Loki assumes that the team doesn't care much about them. Thor looks inquisitively at him, but he doesn't say anything and Loki has a feeling he is going to be ambushed with questions later.

Loki gives Anthony a few pancakes and serves himself the rest. They sit at the table with the rest of the team and listen to Rogers's stories about Wakanda. With every word Anthony becomes more invested, especially since the descriptions of the technology are not detailed and are likely inaccurate. Loki doesn't quite know what they are talking about, but the expressions on Anthony's face are enough to keep his attention.

A bit after everyone finishes their food, FRIDAY announces that Peter is at the front door. He bounces into the room.

"Hey, Mr. Stark! Oh, wow." He is shocked, Loki presumes that it is caused by Rogers, Barnes, and all of the former exiled members of the Avengers.

"Hey kid. Yeah, the team is all back together again."

Peter nods, like he is afraid of messing something up. "Oh, okay then. That's pretty great." Norns, this kid gets star struck easily. You would think he would get used to being around superheroes all the time. "So, Mr. Stark! Today is Sunday, so we are supposed to spar together." He is beaming with excitement.

"Not today, kid. I feel like absolute sh—crap." He rests his head on his palm for emphasis.

Peter doesn't hide his disappointment well. Loki interrupts him before he speaks. "I could spar with him."

"What? Really? That's amazing, oh my God thank you so much, Mr.—I mean Loki."

Anthony smiles at him. "Don't kill or permanently injure him. And heal him after with your magic stuff. I don't want Aunt May to come after me for abusing her kid."

Loki rolls his eyes at Anthony's protective nature. Adorable as it is, he really should have more faith in him.

Maybe.

He stands up and walks over to the kid. "Well? Lead the way. I don't know where anything is here."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that you're new here." He motions for Loki to follow him. Loki gives a final glance to Anthony from across the room, and then follows the child to the gym.

 

******

 

A month later, a spaceship carrying a man who is stuck in the eighties, a green lady, two blue people, a girl with antenna, a raccoon, and a tree land on the roof of the Avengers facility. They look beat up and their morale is low.

They step out of the ship and introduce themselves peacefully. The green lady, Gamora, warns them about the current state of things.

"There is a great danger coming to this planet. If we don't stop him, half of the universe will be killed," she says gravely. A month ago, those words would've sent him into a panic. Aside from a knee jerk reaction, he stays calm.

"Thanos is coming? How many stones does he have?" Loki asks, shushing the rest of the Avengers who are ready to pounce on the woman with their questions.

"Two, power and reality. How do you know about Thanos?" 

"We've met," he says cryptically, turning to speak to the Avengers, who are now unofficially _his_ team. "We need to assume the best defensive postition we have, and gather all of the stones we have in one place." 

The team discusses a plan. It isn't much work, and only the specifics need to be figured out. They have already planned for Thanos, thanks to Loki pressuring them into doing it. 

He is confident, more so than a person facing the destruction of the universe should be. His team is strong, and Thanos is only prepared to deal with the primitive humans of a few centuries ago, not the technologically advanced civilization that he will have to defeat.

Even with the two infinity stones, he can't defeat the Avengers. The combined forces of Earth cannot lose to him. Loki knows this now. It is a fact that has been engraved into him. It is obvious who will win this battle.

He wishes he could tell his self from six years ago everything he knows now. He was so scared for the world around him and hated contributing to the whims of a tyrant, but saw no other way out. Now, he is ready to stare him down and kill him without hesitation.

He has backup now, something he never has had before. The team as a whole will stand by him if he stumbles. Peter will help him up if he can't seem to stand. Thor will cheer him on if he becomes uncertain. And perhaps most importantly, Anthony will be there, and they will fall together and help each other up again.

That is what love is to Loki. It is having someone who falls next to you that you can help up, and someone who you can count on to pull you up when you trip. He is glad he has found that, in his brother and team, but most importantly, his lover.


End file.
